In late January, People First hosted a breakfast briefing on harassment in the workplace. The topic had certainly featured prominently in the news cycle late in 2014 and our consultants were fielding more questions on the topic. We invited representatives from The Manitoba Human Rights Commission, Safe Work Manitoba and People First’s Respectful Workplace practice to share some of the cases that are impacting employers in Manitoba, current trends in harassment reporting and what companies can do improve the work environment for all employees.

Martin Cash from the Winnipeg Free Press also made it out to the event, which he featured in his column the next day. Read the full article here.

Why is it that being respectful is frequently forgotten during one of the key phases of the employment relationship — at the time of job loss? Especially when you consider so many organizations have respect as one of their stated corporate values.

Typically when someone has job loss it’s about fit, that nebulous concept that really is about skills, style, work habits or interactions with others simply not aligning with what the organization wants at that point in time. Job loss often happens to great people who sometimes know themselves that the fit just isn’t right.

While catcalls and overt comments aimed at female co-workers may have gone the way of the switchboard and manual typewriter, research shows that there is still sexism in the workplace. And while this brand of sexism is much more difficult to detect than what used to be so prevalent in the workplace, it is just as harmful.

It’s called benevolent sexism and while most of us do not even recognize it in our everyday lives, we encounter it on a regular basis.

Every employee is a spoke in the wheel at Bison Transport

This spring, Bison Transport became a five-time grand prize winner of the National Fleet Safety Award (an unparalleled industry achievement) and was recognized as one of the Best Fleets to Drive For by the Truckload Carriers Association. Yet, as impressive as the accolades that Bison continues to amass, the company simply views it as business as usual.

Perhaps you have heard the tale about getting a pink slip in with your paycheque as a way of finding out about your employment termination. This tale dates back to the early 1900s and I’ve yet to see an organization actually do this. However, a quick media search finds many stories where employees have been victims of deplorable actions by their employer. One such case was the U.S. convenience store chain owner who held a contest for employees to guess who would be fired next in order to win a cash prize. Another high-profile termination was that of Yahoo’s CEO Carol Bartz who was terminated over the telephone. Then there were the RadioShack Corp. employees who found out they were being let go when they received an email explaining that workforce reduction was being carried out and “unfortunately your position is one that has been eliminated.”

The reality is losing your job can be a horrible and even devastating experience, but the good news is most employers are caring and realize terminations don’t have to be a dreadful experience, according to Eileen Kirton, regional vice-president of KWA Partners, leaders in career management services.

Every organization, regardless of its product or service, is vulnerable to employee theft, and it has been estimated that nearly 95 per cent of all companies have experienced some form of this activity.

If that statistic doesn’t shock you, this one should: 20 per cent of every dollar earned by a company is lost to employee theft. In other words, it takes $1.25 in new sales to recover from that theft.

Congratulations on finding and hiring a strong, qualified new employee, bringing their talent, enthusiasm and valuable skill set to your organization.

Now that you’ve got them, what are you doing to keep them from leaving?

It is no longer enough to apply resources to recruiting employees who are the right fit for your company; it is absolutely necessary to give them reasons to stay. When it comes to retaining top talent, you may be surprised to learn that your company has a lot going for it already — if you have made the effort to create a positive workplace culture.